Locket latch



J. M. SLAIN LOCKET LATCH June 5, 1945 Filed July '20, 1942 INVENTCSR J7MW ATTORNEYS Patented June 5, 1945 "UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE LOCKETLATCH John M. Slain, Providence, R. 1.; Elizabeth Slain,

executrix of said John M. Slain, deceased, assignor to Theresa Brogan,Providence,,R. 1.

Application July 20,1942, Serial No. 451,541

6 Claims.

This invention relates to a. case having two hingedly related parts,such for instance as a locket to be worn on the person of the wearer,and more particularly to the means for holding thetwo hingedly relatedparts in closed position.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a means for securingthe two hingedly related parts of .a locket or the like so that lessbreakage and destruction of the holding means will occur in itsformation.

. Another object of the invention is to provide a latch which may bemade of separate material and hardened to give greater resiliency andholding power than the remainder of the stock of which the locket isformed.

Another object of the invention isto provide a latch device whichalthough formed of a separate piece will require less assembly time thanthe prior practice of bending the latch into position after assembly.

With these and other objects inview, the invention consists of certainnovel features of construction, as will be more fully described andparticularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of a locket in closed position;

Fig. 2 is a planview looking at the inside of a locket with the twomembers swung to open position; I

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the hingedly related bezel'members of thelocket;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of one of the bezel members;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of a shell which is rolled about one of thebezel members;

Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the latch part which is assembled withthe bezel in the case;

Fig. '7 is a section on line 1--'| of Fig. 4; and

Fig. 8 is a section on line 8--8 of Fig. 2.

In the usual manufacture of locket-s a -bezel is located within a shellportion of the locket of each member and the latch or catch for securingthe two hingedly related assembled members together is formed byshearing and bending the stock of the bezel so as to provide aprotuberant part to perform this function. The bezel is usually rolledinto the shell and this latch bent into position thereafter. Suchformation often results in the breaking of the latch part and thusmakingre-assembly of bezel and shell expensive to perform to salvage theshells of members whose latch is broken. By the arrangement which I haveprovided the latch is bent and the part carrying it completed, prior torolling the bezel and shell together. The latch 'is thus more easilycompleted and if by chance any, imperfect latch should occur the partmay bediscarded prior to its being assembled in finished position. Thuswhen it is assembled in finished position the same is complete and nofurther bending or distorting operation is needed. In proceeding withthis invention I provide a bezel Ill and a bezel II hingedly related asat I2, while a casing part I3 (see Fig. 5) is rolled about each bezel tocomplete the hingedly related members. The latch designated generally I4is held between a bezel and the case and is an individual completelypreformed separate piece. v

The bezel I0 is provided with a catch opening I5 at one side of thegenerally heart shaped for-.

mation, and an eye I6 at the other side of the bezel. The bezel H isprovided with an opening I1 at one side and a pair of hinge eyes I8 atthe other side of the heart shaped formation which are in sufficientregistry with the eye [6 so as to receive a pintle pin therethrough tohingedly relate the members together. A suspending eye I9 is formed ofthe same piece of material as the bezel II, and a shell 20 is rolledthereon and provides a. convenient means of suspension of the locketupon a chain, cord or other supporting means. -A shell 2|, as'shown inFig. 5 is of a shape corresponding to the shape of the bezel and is cutaway or notched as shown in dotted lines at the hinge so as to receivethe bezel therein, and then is rolled into engagement with the bezel asseen at 22, in Fig. 8.

In order to secure the hingedly related members 22 and 24, eachconsisting of a shell and bezel in closed position, I have inserted alatch part I4, see Fig. 6, which consists of a strip of sheet material25 which will be of a suflicient length and configuration so as tomaintain itself against longitudinal movement within the member 24beneath the bezel and between the bezel and the shell. This I accomplishin the utilization of a shape following somewhat the shape of the heartat the v-shaped formation thereof, and when this is located between theshell and the bezel as shown in Fig. 2 in dotted lines it is incapableof lateral, and of longitudinal movement. A protuberant latch designated26 is bent from the stock of the part 25 at a location where it willextend through the opening ll of the bezel II, and the structure of thisprotuberant latch part 26 is convex on its engaging face such that itwill extend through the opening I5 which acts as a catch and will engagethe edge of this opening I5 by its bulging edge springing past this edgeand thus will serve to friction against this edge and hold the twomembers in closed position. The latch part [4 is firmly secured inposition by the bezel l I forcing the surface 27 of the latch intoengagement with the inner surface 28 of the shell 2 I.

To open the locket it is merely necessary to insert the finger nailorsome instrument between the hinged members and force the same apart.

By reason of this arrangement the latch is preformed so that bendingafter assembly is not necessary and it is so located that it serves toengage the catch part without material adjustment.

I claim:

and with the edge of the said-side walls engaging the bottom wall ofsaid shells, providing a space between the said top wall of the bezeland bottom wall of said shell, a separatepart positioned in 1. Incombination a pair of members, means for hinging said members together,catch means provided on one member, the other member com-.

prising a shell, a bezel within the shell having a wall spaced from thebottom wall of said shell and provided with an opening extendingtherethrough, a separate part positioned in the space i between thebezel and shell and in firm engagement with said walls to preventmovement of the said separate part, said separate partbeing providedwith a resilient protuberant latch extending through the opening in thebezel and adapted to engage with said catch means.

2. In combination a pair of members, means for hinging said memberstogether, catch means provided on one member, the other membercomprising a shell, a bezel Within the shell having a wall spaced fromthe bottom wall of said shell and provided with an opening, a separatepart conforming generally to theshape of the bezel and positioned in thespace between the bezel and shell and in firm engagement with said wallsto preventmovement of the said separate part, said separate part beingprovided with a resilient protuberant latch of the same piece of stockas the said part and extending through the opening in the bezel andadapted to engage With said catch means.

3. In combination a pair of.bezcls hinged together each provided with aside wall and a top wall and each provided with an opening at a point onthe opposite side thereof from said hinge connection, shells rolledabout each of said bezels, and with the edge of the said side wallsengaging the bottom wall of said shells providing a space between thesaid top wall of the bezel and bottom wall of said shell, a separatepart positioned in the space between one bezel and shell and in firmengagement with said walls to prevent movement of the said separatepart, said separate part being provided with a resilient protuberantlatch exthe space between one bezel and shell and in firm engagementwith the said top and the said bottom wall and of an extent to followthe bezel sufficiently to be retained against longitudinal movement andprovided with a resilient protuberant latch extending through theopening in the bezel for extending into the opening in the other bezeland resiliently engaging an edge thereof to form a holding clasp.

5. A device of the class described comprising an outer casing embodyingtwo shells, a field piece retained in each shell, hinge means movablyconnecting said shells and field pieces, each said shells and fieldpiece-having an open space therein positioned opposite each other whensaid field pieces are in closed position, a latch member the mainportion of which is between a said field piece and a said shell, saidlatch member embodying a catch that projects through one said space andis cooperative with the other said open space of the adjacent fieldpiece portion to hold said field pieces and shells in closed position,and also embodying an extension portion part of which extendssubstantially at right angles to another part of said extension portion.I

6. A device of the class described comprising an outer casing embodyingtwo shells, a field piece in each shell, hinge means movably connectingsaid shells and field pieces, one said shells and field piece having anopening in an intermediate portion thereof, another said field piecehaving a cut-out therein extending from an outside edge portion inwardlyand positioned opposite said opening when said field pieces and shellsare in closed position, a latch member between a said shell and a saidfield piece embodying a catch, said catch projecting through saidcut-out outwardly beyond said field piece and cooperative with saidopening of the adjacent field piece portion to hold said field pieces inclosed position.

JOHN M. SLAIN.

